1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to transducers such as rotation rate sensors and inertial sensors and, more particularly, to a transducer system and method in which the output voltage is linearly proportional to the power supply voltage.
2. Related Art
Transducers such as rotation rate sensors, accelerometers and other inertial sensors are used in a wide variety of applications such as control systems employed in aircraft, automobiles and other vehicles. One early type of accelerometer had a potentiometer with an adjustable element or wiper driven by a proofmass to vary the resistance of the poterniometer. That type of accelerometer was a ratiometric device in that the output voltage was linearly proportional to the supply voltage as long as the potentiometer itself was linear.
More recently, accelerometers, rate sensors and other transducers have employed vibrating quartz sensing elements which are substantially more sensitive than potentiometric devices. Unfortunately, however, prior to the present invention, It has not been possible to obtain a ratiometric output from a vibrating quartz device.